State Farm® Dark Horse Dunker Quarterfinal Round Now Underway

Official Rules

INDIANAPOLIS (March 16, 2026) – The semifinal round of the 2026 State Farm Dark Horse Dunker competition is now underway after the quarterfinal round of voting concluded last week. Four competitors remain in the running for the chance to show their dunking abilities at the 2026 State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, which will take place April 3 in Indianapolis.

Fans will determine the winner by voting on the event’s X (@CollegeSlam) and Instagram (@College_Slam) channels in a bracket-style competition. The X voting window for each round will run for the duration of each round and the Instagram voting window for each round will run for the final 24 hours each week. Semifinal voting is underway and runs through Thursday at Noon CT.

The remaining schedule for each round will go as follows:

• Semifinals: March 16 at Noon CT – March 20 at Noon CT (4 Players)
• Finals: March 23 at Noon CT – March 27 at Noon CT (2 Players)

The player that ultimately receives the most votes in the final round will be selected to compete in the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, an event featuring some of the best college dunkers and 3-point shooters in the country. The 2026 State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships will take place April 3 in Indianapolis and air on ESPN on April 5 at 1:30 p.m. ET.

The following are the eight Dark Horse Dunkers remaining in the contest for their chance to showcase their talents in the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships:

Thomas Hailey, University of Charleston
Jair Knight, Emory
Sam Phipps, University of Texas – Tyler
Gavin Sarvis, Loras
Neal Terry, Belhaven
Jeremy Thomas II, Clarion
Alvin Tumblin Jr., Palm Beach Atlantic University
JaMaal Unuakhalu, Menlo

Three players who won the State Farm Dark Horse Dunker competition have gone on to win the Slam Dunk Championship, including Marcus Lewis (Eastern Kentucky) in 2014, James Justice (Martin Methodist College) in 2012 and Jacob Tucker (Illinois College) in 2011.

For more information about the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, follow us on Twitter (@CollegeSLAM) and Instagram (@College_Slam). Official rules for the State Farm Dark Horse Dunker competition can be found HERE.